The present invention relates to gripping pliers with the characteristics.
Such gripping pliers are known from practical application and in particular from the printed publications DE-PS 805 265 as well as DE-92 18 069 U1. In the known gripping pliers the lower extended handle and the upper extended handle cross in a joint which comprises an elongated indexing hole. The handle which constitutes the upper extended handle when the pliers are in use, forms the lower jaw while the lower extended handle when the pliers are in use, forms the upper jaw of the pliers.
A through-bolt which forms the bearing axis of the joint is star-shaped or round in cross section and in longitudinal direction of the elongated hole engages the indexing hole located in the lower extended handle with a positive fit. A leaf spring arranged without protection provides pretension to the through-bolt in its catch position, with the said leaf spring being located on the outside of the joint opposite the through-bolt. To adjust the opening width of the known gripping pliers, the through-bolt must be pushed into the joint of the pliers, against the force of the leaf spring so that its larger cross-section is pushed out of the indexing hole. Thereafter the lower extended handle can be adjusted to the desired extent in relation to the upper extended handle. As soon as the through-bolt is no longer held, the leaf spring pushes it into the engagement position in the indexing hole, and the intended opening width of the gripping pliers is fixed. With these gripping pliers the upper extended handle comprises a slot and the lower extended handle in the area of the joint is inserted through the upper extended handle. For reasons of stability the aim is to keep the dimension of the lower extended handle in the joint area to approximately half the entire thickness, so that the load bearing surfaces of the joint components resting against the indexing bolt are approximately the same for the lower extended handle as they are for the upper extended handle.
In the case of the known gripping pliers it is therefore necessary in order to undo the indexing connection, to displace, transversely to the longitudinal plane of the pliers, the indexing bolt by an amount approximately corresponding to half the thickness of the pliers. It is thus seen as a disadvantage that this travel is relatively extensive and that the free activation end of the indexing bolt in its home position laterally protrudes significantly further out than the joint.